Officials of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu ordered that the elephants working in the temples must be sent together on a deserved vacation. The order was issued in the official program, which aims to return the exhausted animals in shape. All the 45 elephants in the "constant work" at the temples and shrines throughout the state of Tamil Nadu were sent to the woods of Mudumalaj, along the coast for a 48-days recovery. "Elephants were transported by trucks from various churches around the country", said one Indian official, adding that the elephants during their stay at sea will have a special diet based on sugar cane, coconut and banana, rich in medicinal herbs and vitamins. Elephants are an integral part of Hindu rituals in the temples where they kiss believers and pilgrims with a raised trunk. They are also trained to perform various physical work for the temple needs.